Jennifer McGowan: What would Elizabeth do?

Jennifer McGowan: What would Elizabeth do?

Jennifer McGowan: What would Elizabeth do?

Jennifer McGowan, author of Maid of Secrets (out today, May 7) of her Maids of Honor series, gets into the mind of Queen Elizabeth I to see how she would handle popular New Adult romance tropes back in the day …

Jennifer: Maid of Secrets is the story of a resourceful thief forced to join an elite group of spies in Queen Elizabeth’s court. (Check out the trailer below, launching here today at HEA, to learn more about the book.)

To survive the Queen’s Court, Meg Fellowes must learn a great deal in a short period — and she has a powerful role model in the Queen herself.

But in 1559, Queen Elizabeth wasn’t the aging, white-faced monarch who often comes to mind while watching Shakespeare’s plays and ruling armadas. Shakespeare wasn’t even BORN in 1559.

Instead, Elizabeth was 25 years old — and starting her first job … which makes her the perfect New Adult romance heroine!

So if a New Adult romance starred Elizabeth I as a heroine, how would she handle these tried-and-true romantic challenges?

The Love Triangle

Well, Elizabeth would be all over this one. Why? Because she lived it. She was deeply in love with one of her courtiers, Robert Dudley, for most of her life — certainly throughout her reign. When she finally passed away in her sleep, she did so with his last letter in her hand.

Unfortunately, Robert was already married when Queen Elizabeth took power, and though he later was widowed (under slightly shady circumstances), he did not ever take Elizabeth’s hand. Instead, he married the daughter of one of her best friends … which is a whole different romantic challenge!

The Secret Baby

Elizabeth would never have risked this issue in her own life. If she’d had a child, that child would have eventually eclipsed her, and that was not something she would allow. HOWEVER, if a secret baby came to light in the relationships of the member of her court, that was a different thing altogether. In that circumstance, her decisions would have been entirely based on who the father of the child was. Depending on how rich or noble that individual was, she would either plot and scheme to bring the relationship between father and child to light … or plot and scheme to make sure it NEVER was known.

The Case of Mistaken Identity/Misunderstanding

You know the concept — there are entire subgenres based on this idea: Girl either mishears or misidentifies or decides to rashly go after random boy as “The One” or at least “The One for Tonight” only to realize too late that “whoops!” he’s her fiancé’s brother/her new boss/the King of Busekistan.

If Elizabeth found herself in the wrong bed, you’d better believe she wouldn’t be the one to suffer — it would be her paramour. Not only would the gentleman in question be sworn to secrecy (on penalty of beheading, the execution of choice for noblemen), she would probably arrange for a convenient accident to befall him if she ever even suspected him of betraying her. When it came to her position as Queen, Elizabeth did not mess around.

Enemies to Lovers

Elizabeth took great delight in arranging the lives of her court members, especially if the couple in question disliked each other. If the two ill-fated lovers actually warmed to one another, they generally would need to keep their attraction to themselves until they were married, lest Elizabeth become annoyed with them and purposefully sunder their relationship!

Elizabeth herself would absolutely relish an “enemies to lovers” scenario in her own life, as long as the ultimate benefactor of the liaison was herself and England. Although she had several prominent courtiers vying for her hand, it is still an open question as to whether the Queen ever truly took a lover.

Marriage of Convenience

Pffft. They almost ALL were marriages of convenience in Elizabeth’s time! She would not have batted an eye at this and would be highly offended if someone came complaining to her about it. Unless, of course, they wanted HER to marry. Now THAT would be highly inconvenient.

So how would one of today’s heroes have won the heart (and hand) of our New Adult romance heroine and most eligible bachelorette Queen Elizabeth? Undying devotion, lots of money and power and prestige, an iron-clad pre-nup, and quite possibly proven verification that he can’t have children. THEN, there just might be a Happily Ever After.

Here’s the trailer for Maid of Secrets:

Here’s the blurb for Maid of Secrets:

In this breathtaking start to a series, a secret society of young women make up Elizabeth I’s most trusted royal guard. God Save the Queen — or the Maids will.

Orphan Meg Fellowes makes her living picking pockets — until she steals from the wrong nobleman. Instead of rotting in prison like she expected, she’s whisked away to the court of Queen Elizabeth and pressed into royal service, where she joins four other remarkable girls in the Maids of Honor, the Queen’s secret society of protectors.

Meg’s natural abilities as a spy prove useful in this time of unrest. The Spanish Court is visiting, and with them come devious plots and hidden political motives. As threats to the kingdom begin to mount, Meg can’t deny her growing attraction to one of the dashing Spanish courtiers. But it’s hard to trust her heart in a place where royal formalities and masked balls hide the truth: Not everyone is who they appear to be. With danger lurking around every corner, can she stay alive — and protect the crown?